Flying Magazine Names Top 100 Airplanes of All Time

New York, N.Y. Bonnier’s Flying magazine, the world’s most widely read aviation magazine, has released Flying Magazine’s Top 100 Airplanes, a Web-based compendium that names the 100 best, most significant and most compelling aircraft designs of all time. The list is replete with photos, explanatory text — some written by aviation luminaries — and links to historic stories from Flying’s archives. Flying Magazine’s Top 100 Airplanes is now available free of charge at Flyingmag.com.

“Among pilots, the question of which airplane is the greatest ever is a recurring and emotional topic of conversation,” said Flying Editor-in-Chief Robert Goyer. “So as pilots ourselves, we decided to have a say. But instead of coming up with a single model or even 10, we decided to do it right and name the top 100 airplanes of all time.”

It was a bigger job than anyone at Flying imagined it would be. More than half a year in the making, Flying Magazine’s Top 100 Airplanes was created though a long, multistep process among Flying editors and a number of special project contributors. “Even determining which kinds of aircraft to consider was a point of contention,” said Goyer. “In the end, some of the airplanes included weren’t “airplanes” at all, and others flew only once or twice, while one in particular was noteworthy for its spectacular failure.”

In addition to famous airplanes, Flying Magazine’s Top 100 Airplanes has star power, with a roster of authors that reads like a who’s who of aviation celebrities. Contributors include test pilot and airshow legend Bob Hoover, golf Hall of Famer Arnold Palmer, Hollywood A-lister Harrison Ford, NASA astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson, aviation training pioneer Hal Shevers, former Cessna CEO Jack Pelton and more. “The thing theses contributors have in common,” said Goyer, “is great passion for and long experience flying their chosen airplane.”

“What began as a bit of a lark, to make a list of the best airplanes of all time, soon became a voyage of discovery as we learned a lot of new things about some great old airplanes,” said Goyer. “We’re certain that our choices are going to make a few pilots pound the desk in disagreement, but we’re certain it will make even more of them nod and smile.”